Shang Princess
by dancer4eva
Summary: Kel doesn't go to the palace, she goes to Shang... eventual KD... rating for future... my first fanfic... DISCONTINUED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE BY AUTHOR
1. prologue and chapter one

Prologue

_To: Baron Piers and Lady Ilane of Mindelan_

_In regard to your daughter's wish to become a page and train for her knighthood, We have decided, along with the training master Lord Wyldon, that it is only wise to put her on probation for her first year to prove that she is willing and able to dedicate herself to this lifestyle. She must also promise to, at all times, be modest and act with the propriety of a lady of her age. If she wishes to go through with her plan, then she may arrive on August 20 for the beginning of the year. _

_King Jonathon of Conte III_

_Queen Thayet of Conte I_

Keladry of Mindelen vowed that one day she would go to the palace and prove to everyone that she should have been accepted, no questions asked. Her final decision was, in the end, to join the Shang instead of going to the convent. Kel would never settle for second best. She went to the Roof of the World to study at the Shang Beginner's School. There she met the Shang Dragon, who saw great potential for a warrior. He brought her under his wing, and she became his Shang Adept.

6 Years Later

It usually took about 10 years to finish Shang, but Kel managed to pass her tests at age 16. She had only 6 years of training. When the Naming Council tried to decide what her rank was to be, they found that she was able to beat everyone. So, they gave her a title that hadn't been used for 5 centuries- Shang of the Elements. The "elements" were: water, time, wind, weather, heat, and cold. She was also given the position of Shang Princess.

16 year old Kel was probably the most beautiful female living at that time. She had dark brown hair that hung past her elbows, and hazel eyes that revealed no emotion what-so-ever. She was tall and thin and had light tan skin. She was muscular, but you wouldn't know. Her smiles were rare in coming, but that made them all the more precious. She had a certain grace to her and a presence so strong, that if she walked into a full ballroom unannounced and she would still be noticed. Kel was incredibly graceful and a wonderful fighter. She was hard and fast. She hit like lightning and was fulfilling that vow which she had made just over 6 years ago. She was going to prove Tortall wrong.

Chapter 1: First Impressions

"Princess Keladry of Mindelan of the Shang; Shang of the Elements," the herald cried. All heads turned as they heard Mindelan, the newest nobility in Tortall. A beautiful girl in breeches and a tunic walked down the Grand Staircase. Her hair was up in a stern ponytail and the only jewelry she wore was a necklace identifying her rank as Shang princess and a bracelet signifying her rank as Shang of the Elements. She had no escort, which was very unusual for a female. As she approached the monarchs, Kel gave the king a letter.

Read it," was all she said as she walked away. She did not bow or curtsy; she only said "read it."

King Jonathon opened the letter and read:

_To: Baron Piers and Lady Ilane of Mindelan_

_In regard to your daughter's wish to become a page and train for her knighthood, We have decided, along with the training master Lord Wyldon, that it is only wise to put her on probation for her first year to prove that she is willing and able to dedicate herself to this lifestyle. She must also promise to, at all times, be modest and act with the propriety of a lady of her age. If she wishes to go through with her plan, then she may arrive on August 20 for the beginning of the year. _

_King Jonathon of Conte III_

_Queen Thayet of Conte I_

Everything came back to him: the terrible fight with Alanna, the queen not speaking to him for 3 months, the Shang's cold-heartedness, and the disappearance of this girl. All of a sudden he felt very ashamed of himself for his past behavior.

The next morning, Kel requested an audience with him. She told him that the Shang court was going to be arriving in a week and that 30 suites must be prepared for them.

"And how are We supposed to accommodate to your wishes?" the King wondered.

"I don't care. The Shang has put off your turn as long as possible. It cannot be ignored anymore. I do not care what you have to do as long as you do it," Kel replied as she left.

Every court had to host Shang-it was done in turns. But Shang had decided to punish the countries that took advantage of Shang abilities. Too many countries had requested Shang warriors, only to end up ungrateful and uncaring about what happened to the elite. The Tortallan's turn was in the middle of this, so it had been skipped. But now it was time for them to pay up.

"How long has Keladry been like this?" Jonathon asked Piers.

"Like how?" he wondered.

"She is so hard and unforgiving. No child her age, or anyone for that matter, should be this uncaring. It is just not natural," the King stated.

"She was brought up in the Yamani Islands, and then was faced with your cruelty," a new voice stated. "She has no more need for emotions, for her they have only caused grief and anger. She now only expresses great loathing of emotions. But this is usually an advantage of hers; her opponents are never able to guess what she is going to do. But then again, she refuses to accept things such as love and happiness. Because of this, she experiences great loneliness. It is impossible for even me to figure out what she is thinking and feeling. I feel great pity for her; her path is a hard one and, if she doesn't learn to love, it always will be," he continued.

"I apologize for forgetting to introduce myself. I am the Shang Dragon. I cannot give you my name, as I do not have one. I am the Nameless Shang. It was I who taught Keladry," the Dragon said.

"I would prepare those rooms now. We will also need a room to act as a court room at all times. You are of course invited to watch us, as long as you stay out of our way. The same policy goes to all of your subjects-noble and common alike. Please send reservations to the Princess. There are many who want to observe court, Shang included," the Dragon stated before leaving.

"I suppose I must order Oakbridge to prepare a banquet," the King sighed to Queen Thayet.


	2. The Banquet and the first day of court

_**Hey… I forgot to put in a disclaimer last chapter! O well… here it is…**_

**_Disclaimer:_ I do not own any of the characters… Only the Nameless Shang… but if I get into to technicalities, Tamora Pierce owns him too, b/c he is Shang… and I'll just stop here…I can wish, but I must face reality! The wonderful and all-knowing Tamora Pierce does…**

Chapter 2: The Banquet and the First Day of Court

All of the Shang Masters had gathered in Corus in less than a day. This was quite amazing to outsiders, but not as spectacular to Shang members.

The Shang Children, or beginners, and the lowest Shang Adepts sat together at the lower tables. The lowest Shang Masters, the Order of the Sea, and the highest Shang Adepts sat at the next table. At the next table, the Order of the Land and the Order of the Sky Shang Masters all sat. The Order of the Immortals, the Shang King, the Shang Princess, and their guest, Lady Knight Sir Alanna of Trebond, Olau, and Pirates Swoop sat at the highest table.

The banquet was a quiet one, very unlike royal functions, which Alanna was used to. Every Shang member got along with the others, so everything went smoothly.

Kel was worried about the next morning when they would be holding court. As was customary, only and all of Shang was allowed and forced to go. Usually, someone challenged the king, or the princess, and they also had to go through with this year's Master's namings and ceremonies. These were Kel's least favorite. They just took so long, and the same people challenged the same people every year. Kel could scream with the frustration of having to organize reservations for court seats for the following days, as there were rules about that too.

No one could watch court twice in a row except on the first two days. Masters of different orders couldn't sit next to each other. Guests from the hosting country couldn't sit in the back, the front, or next to any Shang Masters, although they were permitted next to students. People bringing a subject up, could only bring up two in one session and had to sit in the front. It was all very confusing and the slightest mistake could get you in trouble. _Which is why, of course, no one wants the job_, Kel thought.

The next morning, Kel woke up three hours before sunrise and went to court. It turned out exactly how she thought it would… BORING!

But she was bombed with letters for reservations from the Tortallan court, which was very unusual. One was quite weird-it was a reservation for six squires without any knight masters…

**VaialaVerikova: **I will try to make her nicer, but it fit my story just then. I'm going to make something big that will explain why she is so cold…

**Swapneshwari: **Thanx!


	3. The week of court

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything, except the Nameless Shang and King Mikael. The wonderful and all-knowing Tamora Pierce does, though!**

Chapter 3: The Week of Court

Part 1: Day Two of Court

_Wow_, Kel thought. _I didn't know that so many people wanted to observe court. And me here, trying to do my best to not make a fool of myself. _She was in the back getting ready for the second day of court.

Kel had put up the list of Tortallans, the ones who were accepted for that day's court, the night before. She could only accept up to ten guests, so she chose the unusual six person reservation, another unusual one person reservation, and the king and queen and their oldest daughter, Kalasin.

"I bring this court to order. Please rise for his majesty, King Mikael of Shang and Shang Dragon and her royal highness, Princess Keladry of Shang and Shang of the Elements," cried the Shang Dolphin, Alaric. Everyone stood for the procession. The king entered first, and every Tortallan was amazed by his presence. He was very handsome with dark brown hair and blue eyes. He was tall and well muscled and had an aura of mystery. He was everything a girl could possibly want and everything a man wanted to be.

But they were more astounded by Kel. She was drop dead gorgeous and was wearing "men's clothing". She was wearing a light green shirt that accented her hazel eyes. Her breeches were a light tan. Kel had her hair pulled back into a tight bun. She wore no face paint, but let her natural beauty shine through. She had light auburn hair with a little wave to it. She was incredibly tall for a female and extremely muscled. Her back was straight up. If she had decided to become a knight anyway, she wouldn't have had such graceful muscles.

When she made it to the front of the room, she went to the podium and announced the names of the guests.

"I would like to welcome our guests," she said. "King Jonathon, Queen Thayet, Princess Kalasin, Lady Knight Sir Alanna of Trebond, Olau, and Pirates Swoop, Prince Roald, Squire Nealan, Squire Merric, Squire Cleon, Squire Faleron, and Squire Owen. We are honored that you wish to observe our court. Now to business…"

The day lasted from dawn to dusk, with one brief interval for the restroom and for a quick snack. They went over where they were going to hold court the next year and argued over the training system. Kel and Mikael were challenged numerous times and each fought every challenger. They closed the second day with a match between the two of them.

Part 2: The Third Day of Court

The third day began the same way, with the procession and Kel announcing the guests. That day there guests were: Sir Roaul of Goldenlake and Majorie's Peak, Sir Gareth the Younger, Lord Wyldon of Cavall, Sergeant Domitan of Masbolle, Buri, Diane, Numair, Squire Joren, Squire Garvey, and Squire Zahir.

The Shang court argued all day on the Shang visiting laws-should the masters be allowed to stay as long as they want, wherever they want, or should they stick to the customary four months? That was all they covered that day. The outcome was a change! That day was closed by a match between Mikael and the Shang Sphinx.

Part 3: The Fourth Day of Court

Kel was tired after 15 hours of court every day. She was excited about the week after when she could relax and enjoy Corus.

Court that day began with the reading of the guests (_A/N: I couldn't think of any, but they are not of any importance. All of the important people have already visited_.) That day they celebrated being Shang. This year was their 1,000 anniversary. They went through and reminded everyone of the important things Shang had done in the past, and what they could do to change the future. That day ended with a Shang story.

Kel was exhausted after that day, but she couldn't sleep. She decided to take a walk in the palace gardens where she met a handsome blue-eyed sergeant and his commanding officer. They introduced themselves, and parted. Kel went to bed dreaming of strangers with blue eyes.

Part 4: The Fifth Day of Court

Kel wasn't required to attend the fifth day of court because it was just combat testing. Instead she went to the training yards and practiced. What she didn't know was that a certain stranger was shaking himself for dreaming about unattainable women.

_It isn't like you are in love with her or anything, you only met her last night,_ Dom told himself.

He decided to go and practice to get his mind off of her. He stopped by the King's Own barracks and told them that they had to go practice, too. When they got there, they found the Shang Princess doing an intricate pattern using the glaive and hand-to-hand combat. She didn't seem to notice them, and if she did she kept it hidden.

"I think someone just fell in love," Lerant remarked to seemingly no one, but meaning Dom. The Own broke out into a big argument. When they turned around, she was gone.

Kel went to meditate and to catch up on some much needed sleep.

Part 5: The Sixth and Final Day of Court

On the last day of court, all positions were confirmed and the day ended. It was a shorter day because everyone was tired and needed sleep. Kel, along with the rest of Shang went to bed immediately and without lunch or dinner. The next day was full of promise as Kel was scheduled to train Sir Roaul and the King's Own in hand-to-hand combat…

**CSI Queen-** Thank you!

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**USNA-** I just thought we needed a change, I obviously updated, thanx!

**Nativewildmage- **I will try to make her nicer, but you will find out why she so cold in a little bit, thanx!

**Pesch- **yes, it's planned out! Thanx!

**Kaysin- **I know she has too much beauty, but I need her to be like that, I'll try to make it less dramatic, thanx!

**Lucky-Roger- **read all of the above messages… I have received many reviews like yours… thanx!

**HyperKathryne- **thanx!

Please read and review… I am sorry for any mistakes I made! Happy Day!


	4. Training the King's Own

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of this, the wise and all-knowing Tamora Pierce does. So, please do not sue me for using any of the following material, except my own, which you should be able to find easily if you have been reading the rest of this story!**

_A/N: Thank you for all of the compliments I have been receiving! And thanks for tolerating my experiments!_

Now to my story!

**Chapter 4: Training the King's Own**

Kel woke up just before the sun rose the day after the Shang court ended. This was her first day of training the King's Own. Lord Roaul, whom she had met before with a blue-eyed sergeant named Dom, was their leader and was going to be present for every training session. He, though, wasn't going to be training.

They were to meet in the forest an hour after dawn, so Kel ate a light breakfast and went to practice before they got there. She was so absorbed in her practice, that she didn't notice that the men had arrived and it was time to begin the training session. No one deemed it right to tell her just yet, because they knew she wouldn't be happy about being interrupted, if she was anything like Roaul.

About a half an hour later, Dom, who was falling in love with this beautiful stranger, got tired of the admiring looks the men were sending her, so he yelled her name quite loudly. "KEL!" he exclaimed. She abruptly finished and apologized for not being ready.

"Hi! In case you couldn't hear your sergeant, I'm Kel. Yes, I'm the Shang Princess and everything, but we won't get into that. I have a few rules, though, if you are going to train with me. One, obey my orders without question the first few weeks, yes weeks. In a while you can question me, but not yet. Two, don't get smart with me. I don't tolerate that kind of stuff, so unless you have a death wish, be an intelligent person please. Three, no talking or fooling around while you're training and especially none while I am talking. I will only say something twice during a session, if I have to say it more, then you run! And I assure you, you won't like that. Four, I am willing to throw you out if I have any problems, and I do know how to punish unruly behavior. And five, listen to me and you will be fine. I am in charge and no one else is during the session. Is that clear?"

Kel's speech was quite brief for a new teacher, but she showed them that she alone was in charge and was to be obeyed at all times. The training session was supposed to be from seven in the morning to noon. This way they could all go back and finish their tasks for the day afterwards, and have some time to themselves. To the King's Own five hours was a long time, but to Kel it was just a small part of the day.

They started by learning some basic stretches that would help their bodies to receive the hard work more easily. Then they worked on basic high, low, and middle punches and blocks. Kel impressed in their heads the importance of basics while she taught them these, so she had no arguments. They spent all morning on these and the men were worn out by noon. They all were amazed at how hard basics could be. They realized that for all these years, they've been doing the basics wrong, and therefore risking their lives.

When noon came around Kel was proud of the men for training so hard and with so little complaint. She said so to Roaul after all but one man had left. She knew that if she told them of how proud she really was, they would get stuck up and wouldn't fight as well. So she kept this to herself.

Kel sat down and began to meditate on her past.

_FLASHBACK_

_She was 10 years old and was celebrating Midwinter. She went to bed early that night because she knew she had to wake up early the next day. She got ready for bed, her normal routine. She was going to work on Fairy Tales, the new book written by Celia Tribet, the child's mage._

_ All of a sudden, her door opened and before she could see what was going on, her lights went out. Then she saw a big, looming shape at her bedside. She began to scream, but a hand covered her mouth. She began to fight, using all the Shang she had acquired in the past three months, but it wasn't good enough. Then the shape tried to kill her. This she would not tolerate. _

_Just because she was a girl that was three years older than she was permitted to be to enter Shang, she had fought incredible prejudice. Now someone was trying to kill her. She quickly turned the knife on the man and started screaming. The Shang masters cam running. "Good job" one had told her with a smile. Then they brought her downstairs to the infirmary, where she was told to stay the night. _

_The next morning she received news that her oldest, and favorite, brother had been murdered. She would never forget that day. _

_END FLASHBACK_

Kel was shuddering. Every time she thought back to that fateful day, she started shuddering. It was horrible. She found out later that the man who tried to kill her and the man who killed her brother, both worked for the same man. An unknown man, but the same, nevertheless. It had been horrible for her for the last six years, never knowing when she was going to get word of another family member's death. And word did come.

After Anders came Inness, then Conal. Soon Adalia and Oranie were attacked, but had barely escaped. Every time this happened, her family would look to her for help, but she had had none to give. Now she was better trained, and better equipped to hunt down the murderers.

It was because of this that she was so cold, afraid that every man she saw was the one behind those murders.

Dom saw her shudder and cry. He walked over to her and tried to comfort her, but soon realized it would be best if she was left alone. Just as he was about to walk away, he heard Kel say," Dom! Thank you!"

"No problem! Are you okay?" he replied.

"Yes. I'm quite alright. I was just… remembering," she answered.

"Do you mind if I walk you in? I'm hungry, and I'm sure you are as well!"

"Well, okay I guess," Kel answered.

They went into the mess hall together, and they ate with the rest of the Third Company of the King's Own. Kel left as soon as she was finished under the excuse of getting ready for tomorrow. But they all kind of guessed that she was going to practice more…

Next chapter soon!

**Nativewildmage**- thanx! She did meet Dom, though, in the last chapter.

**Redbird-flying-away- **thanx!

**White-wolf2-** thanx!

**Lucky Racer-** thanx! Yeah, I know Alanna has a bunch of titles. It does get o so tedious! Yeah, it was a kinda short chapter. Sry bout ur name… well, I was feeling elaborate when I wrote the posture thing. Well, joren was a nasty bit of work anyway, so yes he probably did die… I'll look into it, tho for my story…

**Pollastra1679-** thanx!

**USNA-** thanx! I'm trying to slowly work in a friendship, b4 a romance, so give the conversation a chance…

**Angelgirl135-** thanx! And love to Charlie and Lucy…

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**Rowana S-** ur welcome-it's a good story so far… yes, I know kel's kinds MS-ish, but hey, I'm doing my best… this is also my first fanfci, so I'm testing out new writing ideas of mine… plz be patient with them! Thanx!


	5. Kel in Action

_Disclaimer: I do not own anything. It all belongs to the wise and all-knowing Tamora Pierce. _

**Hey! Yes, I know the story is kind of Mary-Sue-ish, but oh well! Most of it is just gibberish that I'm experimenting with. Others are just, well, easier to write. I know Kel isn't beautiful, et cetera, in the books, but it fit my purpose. I'm just having fun being weird! I'm sorry it took me so long…!Now, to Chapter 5!**

Chapter 5: Kel in Action

(This takes place 2 months after the last chapter. All Kel did was train the King's Own and practice her own skills.)

It was the first rainy day since Kel had started training the King's Own and they weren't out at practice. Kel decided that maybe she should go looking for them, because there was going to be no slacking off just because of a little rain. She was a slightly angry at them because she thought that they should have known that there was going to be practice everyday, no matter the circumstances.

First she sought out Lord Raoul, who was in his office doing paperwork. She asked if the Third Company had been sent away because they weren't at practice. Raoul said that they thought that there wasn't any practice because of the weather. Kel almost slapped him, because he was grinning sheepishly at her. She was getting a little annoyed at the world because she had just spent three hours practicing in the rain and she waited almost two hours for the Third Company.

Kel searched all over the palace. First she went to the mess hall, then the practice courts (both indoor and out), then the training yard, and then the classrooms. Finally she decided to look in the barracks, where she found them playing cards.

"Ah hem," Kel said. The men looked up surprised: they hadn't known she was there. "I see that you all have decided that you do not need practice anymore. Therefore, we shall be testing your abilities."

"When?" asked Lerant.

"Right now. All of you-to the outdoor practice courts. NOW!"

They all scrambled to get there and get into attention. Kel fought each of them in order, easily dumping them on their behinds. After everyone had fought her, she told them to gather round.

"This is pathetic," she stated. "All of you failed. That was the most horrible fighting I have ever seen in my life. You all fight worse than the seven year old Shang! I am embarrassed to have trained you! And you think that you don't need practice? A blizzard will not stop you from practicing! Am I understood? From now on, you will practice CONSTANTLY. There will be no more slacking off because of a little drizzle."

Just then it started thundering and lightening and the rain came pouring harder. A bunch of the men thought that that was a good enough excuse to not practice.

Kel yelled at them," Where are you going? I cannot believe this. You are a bunch of wimps. Get out here now and start warming up. I want to sweat, not rain, pouring off of your backs."

They practiced through the thunderstorm, and until one in the morning. Then she released them.

(A/N: I know Kel isn't that mean, but I was having fun at the King's Owns' expense. It's nice to yell at people sometimes. It lets off steam, even if they aren't real people!)

The next morning they were called off, Kel included, to go fight some centaurs that had captured 11 women from a nearby village. A former Shang student had joined up with the centaurs. He was expelled years ago because of illegal doings of his. He still was a good fighter, though. Kel told the men that she would fight him because she was the only person who could win that particular fight.

They were amazed. She moved with the speed of lightening. Afterwards, she treated it like she was just stretching.

When they returned the women and got back to the palace, Dom walked Kel back to her room. When they got to her door, they both stopped and looked at each other awkwardly.

"Kel? Um, I was, well, um, wondering if you would like to, um, go out to dinner with me tomorrow night?" Dom speedily asked.

"Sure!" Kel answered timidly. She had had a crush on him since she saw him, and now he was asking her out!

"I mean as, like, well, a date?" Dom continued.

"Okay…," Kel answered turning red. "What time?"

"I'll meet you at the stables around five thirty,' Dom said and walked away whistling.

Hey! I finally finished that chapter! I'm having fun trying to figure out what comes next! Please review!

**Redbird Flying Away- **Yes, this will be a Kel/Dom story!

**Lucky Racer- **thanks! I tried to find a good reason and way to make her cold-it took forever! Well, the murderer is a surprise- and no, I would NEVER make the murderer a good person!

**Annmarie Aspasia- **I am sorry that you didn't like it, but if you didn't read my author's notes at the beginnings, then I said that I was experimenting. Yes, it is Mary-Sue-ish, but It worked for my purposes. My next story will be different! I promise!

**Hyper Kathryne- **Thanks!


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